Building a successful career involves a lot of work and decisions, which leaves many to believe that procrastinating is the bane to getting ahead. However, history proves otherwise: successful people like Leonardo da Vinci, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Mariah Carey are highly successful, but are also famous procrastinators. So what allows them to procrastinate and still maintain a healthy, successful career?

It all comes down to understanding the most strategic way to procrastinate.

Using a "focus tunnel" method, successful people tackle their day-to-day tasks by asking particular questions for each task they are faced with. These questions occur in this fashion: "Can I remove it? If not, can it be automated? If not, can it be delegated to someone else? If all else fails, can I wait until another time?" According to Rory Vaden, author of Procrastinate on Purpose, this helps overachievers weed through the numerous priorities that they are faced with as they rise through the ranks and become more successful, but also more responsible. Because of this system, many overachievers live within a dynamic - yet urgent - lifestyle.

The distinguishing factor that makes this not procrastinating is that tasks are not put off because one doesn't feel like it, but because it's just not the right time to work on it.

Overall, the tasks that successful people procrastinate on are things that don't need to be done before they are due--instead, they invest in the future by working on tasks that do not need to be shifted to the next day, which actually allows them to invest their future time for more pressing matters.

Staffing Plus is a premier healthcare staffing firm that provides temporary, per diem, temp-to-hire and permanent Staffing Solutions for Behavioral Health, Education, and Healthcare settings. We have leveraged decades of experience to assist organizations with the challenges of managing their HR and Recruiting needs.